Short Synopsis
This ingenious debut introduces John Shakespeare, Elizabethan England's most remarkable investigator, in a tale of conspiracy and murder that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime thriller.

Full Synopsis
The year is 1587. One of Queen Elizabeth's cousins is found murdered, her flesh marked with profane symbols. A plot to assassinate Sir Francis Drake, England's most famous sea warrior, is discovered. One man is charged with the desperate task of solving both cases: John Shakespeare.

Shadowed by his rival, the Queen's chief torturer, Shakespeare travels through an underworld of spies, sorcerers, whores, and theater people—including his younger brother, the struggling playwright Will—to piece together a complex conspiracy, the implications of which are almost too horrific to contemplate. For a zealous and cunning killer is stalking England's streets. And as Shakespeare threatens to reveal the madman's identity, he and the beautiful woman he desires come ever closer to becoming the next martyrs to the cause.

"Excellent.... The characters, action and period detail are all solid." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Simon Vance dexterously portrays the broad range of highbrow and lowbrow characters." ---Library Journal Audio Review

"Vance renders place as well as he draws portraits. The bawdiness and intrigue of London streets are sometimes as chilling as the malevolence of the ruthless murderer." ---AudioFile

Publishers Weekly Review